Answers to questions you have asked
Here are some of the questions teachers ask. Maybe you have some of the same questions. Click on the topic and it will take you to the questions and answers for that topic.
How the Brain Reads
Historically, it takes about 70 years for research to be implemented into the general population. There are many examples.
- The need for hand washing to prevent the spread of germs was researched in the mid-1800’s. Louis Pasteur was pleading for the practice in 1876, but hospitals did not require hand washing until 1910.
- The first seat belts were designed in 1895 and physicians were requiring them in their own cars in the 1930’s. They were not required in most states until the early 1990’s.
- The value of probiotics was discovered in the 1940’s and I used them in the 1970’s. However, you could not easily purchase them until about 2010.
How the brain processes words was discovered in the late 1980’s and by 1990 it was confirmed by a multitude of researchers. Phonemic awareness began to creep into some of the curriculums between 2002-2005 but it was an entirely new concept for educators. It wasn’t until about 2010 that most of the phonemic awareness activities were actually true phonemic awareness activities. Now we see word building coming into some of the curriculums.
We are seeing more and more strategies that support the brain research become a part of the curriculum, but we have a ways to go. We are about 30 years into a 70-year journey. It just takes time for a major paradigm shift to occur in a culture. So much has to change: instruction in universities, curriculums from large publishing companies, and the way we have been taught. I had the unusual opportunity to learn about this because I was getting my doctorate just as this research and discovery came out. I was reading every research journal and was able to “test” it in my own classroom.
You are a pioneer. As you see the results of this research as you implement it in your own teaching, you can be a voice for change.
Yes, Dr. Montessori had it right. Children naturally encode before they decode. Very young children (2, 3, and 4 years old) who learn to read without “intentional” instruction follow this sequence. They learn the alphabet, hear the sounds in words, encode words, and then read. We need to be teaching all students using this “natural” sequence. This is also the sequence that also feels natural to older struggling readers.
Using fMRI, scientists can actually see the brain as it processes words. They discovered we read sound by sound. A discovery that surprised everyone. Reading requires auditory processing skills that trigger the reading process in the brain. Scientific studies then tested this with students and by 1990, researches had a large body of significant data to support the findings.
Before this, philosophers and psychologist made their best guess and determined that reading was primarily a visual skill. They had no way of knowing. Methods were developed based on this theory with many of these methods are present in our current curriculums.
Now we have to rethink what we do in the classroom. What instructional strategies do we keep that support the scientific research? What instructional strategies do not support the science and may even be counterproductive?
Actually, all students benefit from being taught this way. What you are learning is how to teach reading the same way the brain processes words. This makes it easier for all students.
Dyslexia and Kinesthetic Learners
A classroom that uses kinesthetic strategies uses those listed in the text–whiteboards, cards, manipulatives, ability to move in the classroom (with strict parameters), graphic organizers, diagrams, objects, and projects that require discovery and creativity.
Kinesthetic learners must at least move their full arm. Unfortunately, most curriculums do not provide many ideas on how to incorporate these types of activities. I just kept on the look-out for these and little by little started implementing them. The following organization is trying to address some of this for middle and high school students. https://www.noticeability.org/
Dyslexic students do not go through the seven-step process. They have to be explicitly taught how. The reason: they do not process words in the language centers of the left brain. Using a brain-based approach, we take dyslexic and other poor readers through these steps using kinesthetic methods .
Let’s go back to the definition of dyslexia. It is the unexpected inability to read. Can we prevent this with proper instruction? Yes. These students do not have to fail if we use brain-based literacy instruction from the outset of schooling. Those who have not received this type of instruction and are now failing at reading can also become proficient readers. They can overcome dyslexia with the proper instruction.
However, keep in mind that these are kinesthetic learners who differ neurobiologically from the rest of the population. The way they learn everything is different. They can excel in school, but they often do not like school if kinesthetic methods are not used in the classroom. They would rather be doing something.
It impacts all students but some are able to figure out the speech sound/symbol connection on their own and process words in the language centers of the left brain. The way we teach literacy today is largely based on the philosophy that we learn to read by “seeing.” Sight words and repetition are important in many of today’s curriculums.
- Those with visual learning styles do best and can often learn to read using the same processes the brain uses because they figure it out on their own. They make the connection between speech sounds and the graphemes that represents them.
- Even an auditory or tactile learner may be able to figure it out. They hear or write the words and make the connection between the speech sounds and the graphemes that represents them.
- Those with a kinesthetic learning style cannot figure it out on their own because they process information differently. In fact, the way we teach reading makes it almost impossible for them to learn to read well. However, if they are explicitly taught these foundational skills using their learning style (which our program does), they can become proficient readers.
Assessing and Monitoring
If students have difficulty learning the alphabet, writing their letters, or reading stories, we know right away there is some kind of problem. However, if the student finds it easy to memorize letters and words, the problem is masked.
We have to look at very specific issues:
- All children with dyslexia will have weak or non-existent phonemic awareness skills. They can’t hear the beginning, end, and/or middle vowel sounds in spoken words.
- Many will have certain behavioral characteristics such as being inattentive in class, always moving and fidgeting, or off task in some way such as talking to others or playing with objects. They may draw pictures or sing. Why are these behaviors present? They are kinesthetic learners so watching and listening are not the way they learn.
If you are using the RoxieReading A (Kindergarten) or RoxieReading 1 (First Grade) curriculum, these students engage in phonemic awareness and sound card games from the very outset. In the Teacher Resources, you have ways you can monitor their growth. Assessment is embedded within the curriculum. You will know early who is having difficulty.
The students who won’t try can’t read. They may have memorized some words but usually have to guess at other words. It is difficult for them to read anything. They just give up. None of us would keep trying to do something day after day that we actually couldn’t do or that caused us extreme anxiety.
Here is what I do.
- I use the prescreening assessments to determine the ability level of the student. I then use the level where I know the student can be successful. Many times we are asking students to do what they actually can’t do easily or well.
- All of the RoxieReading curriculum lessons start with non-reading games that give students a sense of achievement. When taught the correct way, there is instant feedback so the student can perform correctly. This gives students a sense of achievement.
- The next activity is encoding on the whiteboard. Students who have failed a lot in the past may be anxious about this part. I tell the students that we are going to spell words but not to worry because this isn’t a spelling test. We will talk about the words and I will help them. Because the level is correct for them, they find it easy with help. Just having a small amount of success gives them the courage to try.
- Then they read the words they have spelled. It is much less intimidating because they have just spelled the words.
John on page 14 and Drew on pages 46-48 of your text are examples of this type of student.
The bottom line is that they don’t have the tools. If you give them the tools, they will try because they know they can succeed.
RoxieReading teaches reading through encoding (spelling) but it is not a spelling program. We do not expect students to be able to spell the words independently during the spelling activity. Correct spelling is learned through the Dictation and Writing activities.
When students are asked to spell words on the whiteboard, they are not expected to spell the words without your help. In fact, the correct level is where you must give them help through questions. You don’t wait for a mistake, but give the word and then immediately start asking questions to guide students in spelling the word correctly.
If a student cannot spell the word with your coaching during the encoding, the ability level is too high. Our curriculum has 5 ability levels and everyone can fit into those levels. A teacher asked me to work with a student that was having difficulty. As I worked with him, I saw that he was working at too high of ability level. I had to help him with almost every grapheme. We dropped back a level and he did just fine. It was not long before he could “catch up” and could resume working at the higher level.
Students should be able to almost immediately write the word correctly with your coaching. If you have to help them with every single grapheme, it is too difficult.
You are right that students can do well on the F & P but then crash later. They have memorized many words and actually don’t have the skills to be able to read well.
As a screener, F & P can be used to determine the instructional reading level of students, something you will need to know for dyslexic students. All students need to be reading at the correct level. However, you will need other screeners to identify dyslexia. Even the prescreeners you learn in this course will identify dyslexia. The determining skills are phonemic awareness and grapheme knowledge.
Move the F& P to the classroom level. Intervention for dyslexia requires systematic, explicit, and cumulative instruction in the foundational skills. F&P does not provide that.
I would recommend using the prescreeners you learn in this course as well as the screeners. Then you want to group students by ability level. If you are using the RoxieReading curriculum, it is possible that students in Grades 1 and 2 would fall into 3 different ability levels. If you place all students together, some could be working at a level too high and others be bored because they are working at a level too low.
Yes, I would use all of the prescreeners you learn in this course with students who have already been identified as dyslexic. The results of these assessments will give you valuable information on the ability level of the student.
If you look at the Ability Levels on page 160-161, you will see that we determine groups by grapheme knowledge and not by phonemic awareness level. It is possible to have a 2nd grade student, a 5th grade student, and a high school student with a Phonemic Awareness Level 2. Yet, the grapheme knowledge of each of these students varies widely. To make the most rapid and age-appropriate progress, students are placed by grapheme knowledge.
If you use the RoxieReading curriculum and you have students with average intelligence, they will gain the phonemic awareness levels at about the same pace. It is possible that as students become more skilled, they may have to be moved to a higher ability level. That is determined by how much help they need with the encoding of words. If they can spell the words with little or no help from you, they need to be working at a higher ability level.
Every level of RoxieReading teaches all of the phonemic awareness levels and all of the graphemes (except K who mainly learn the alphabet).
Dyslexia and Other Issues
It is not always easy. Many children are misdiagnosed with ADHD when they are actually just kinesthetic learners.
A kinesthetic learner can focus IF they are using kinesthetic methods, but if not, they are fidgeting, moving, and struggling to focus.
An ADHD learner has difficulty focusing any time, although the kinesthetic methods help them. At the same time, researchers say a 50%- 80% of ADHD students are also dyslexic/kinesthetic.
It is tricky and an issue that many schools face. Leading educators have pointed out the need to rethink how we do RTI. As Dr. Reynolds from Texas A & M University and Dr. Sally Shaywitz said, “We have moved from ‘Wait-to-Fail’ to ‘Watch-them-Fail.'” Neither is acceptable. (Response to Intervention) In other words, RTI has not always accomplished what we had hoped it would accomplish. And how do we know what type of services a student needs? Not easy.
When thinking about RTI, these are some of the considerations:
- Almost all students can learn to read well — even those who have been classified as special education students and who some thought would never be able to read. Remember Temica the 2nd grade student who could not learn the alphabet but was reading at grade level by the end of the year (page 83 of your text).
- Once students learn to read well, they may or may not go on to function well in the classroom. One of my Special Ed students knew 8 words in the 6th grade and was never expected to learn to read but did. And then went to college.
- Some students have been classified as ADHD but when kinesthetic methods were used, the ADHD symptoms disappeared. See The Fine Line Between ADHD and Kinesthetic Learners.
- Some students who are labeled “Learning Disabled” are only disabled because they can’t read. When they learned to read, they are no longer disabled. However, some students definitely have a learning disability and need continued support even if they can read.
- Special education students may also be dyslexic and need brain-based literacy instruction. If they are taught to read, then it is easier to deal with the other issues.
- Counselors have talked with me about their clients who are anxious, have behavior problems, and hate themselves. But they hit a wall with them, because these children can’t read. This causes the student to be anxious, have behavior problems and hate themselves. If students learn to read, counselors are not dealing with the lack of reading ability on top of everything else. Lack of reading ability just exacerbates any problem there is.
- We need to know the reading skill of every student.
- Those who have weak phonemic awareness skills and poor grapheme knowledge need intervention. That includes those in the regular classroom as well as those in Special Education. If those weaknesses are very mild, they might be addressed in the regular classroom if a brain-based approach is used.
- Those who are identified as dyslexic need systematic, explicit, and cumulative instruction in reading. That means enough time has to be allotted for instruction. It cannot be incidental, piecemeal, or just supportive.
- Some RTI models do not allow sufficient time for appropriate intervention for those with dyslexia and other poor readers. There must be enough instructional time.
- Also, some RTI models focus on “support” or targeting specific skills rather than systematic, explicit, and cumulative instruction which is required by many state laws on dyslexia.
- Some RTI models group students by low reading level rather than by specific ability levels. A student in 3rd grade could be at any of 4 ability levels. A student in 10th grade could be at any of 5 ability levels.
Yes, a student can have 20/20 vision and still have a vision issue. As a teacher, you may be the first to be aware of a possible issue as you observe particular student behaviors while reading. I currently teach an older student who could not read for more than 10 minutes without having to do something else. A vision therapist diagnosed him with binocular vision , an issue where he actually skips letters and even whole words on a page. Imagine trying to read with that kind of disability. A vision therapist can treat it.
The types of issues described on page 210 of your text need to be identified by a vision therapy specialist. In my experience, a regular optometrist or ophthalmologist may fail to diagnose this and if they did diagnose it, they would not have the training to treat it. Although this is a link to a specific doctor, this site gives a good description of these types of vision problems. Vision problems
In the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V), dyslexia now falls under the umbrella of Specific Learning Disorder. The definition is close to the IDEA definition of Specific Learning Disability. So, a person with dyslexia can be labeled with a Specific Learning Disorder/Disability. However, we can prevent dyslexia and we can overcome dyslexia through the type of instruction we give. Scientists has given us the tools to do that.
To me, those labels infer a permanent disability. The only thing permanent about those who we label dyslexic is the learning style. Dyslexia itself is not permanent if they have the right instruction. However, these individuals will, for a lifetime, learn in a different way than the general population. They are our inventors, our architects, our musicians, our movie producers, and entrepreneurs. You would not have an iPhone, computer, electric lights, movies, or radio without them. So are they disabled? If we teach them to read (and we can), they aren’t.
Phonemic Awareness
Proficient readers can hear the beginning, end, and middle sounds of words. They can also segment all of the sounds as well as you can. They may need a little practice with long words, but they get it. In contrast, a poor reader cannot segment. I’ve had high school students put down two chips for a word like computer. They don’t hear the individual sounds. Many also cannot consistently hear the middle vowel sounds or end sounds.
The exception is the brilliant individual who has memorized everything and can read well. They cannot hear the individual sounds. I had a colleague who was studying for her doctorate that had memorized everything. She came to me asking me what a word was. She admitted she had no way to figure it out. “But if you tell me, I’ll never forget it.”
Yes, it is a phonemic awareness activity. The essential element in a phonemic awareness activity is the student isolating the sound. If the teacher isolates the sound, it is no longer a phonemic awareness activity. For example, if the teachers asks the student to find the picture that begins with a particular sound, it would not be a phonemic awareness activity.
I don’t recommend the Chip Game for students in K and 1. Research has shown that the best PA games connect the sound with the grapheme that represents it. When we look at how the brain reads — hearing the speech sound and then connecting it to the grapheme that represents it—we realize why this is important. Researchers took this information and then did training studies with kids and without question verified that the best phonemic awareness activities connect the speech sound and the grapheme. That is why we use the Sound Cards and spelling on the white board. These develop strong phonemic awareness skills.
I use the Chip Game for students in Grades 2 and up because they have memorized so many words. They want to rely on their spelling knowledge. The Chip Game forces them to only think of the sound. If these students still don’t know the difference between the vowels and consonants, I tell them to do the best they can. Then when they “fix” the chips with my help, the difference is visual. After a few lessons, they can distinguish them. I’ve had students of all ages who didn’t know the difference but learned them through the Chip Game.
Note: The Phonemic Awareness Segmentation does have students in K and 1 using the chips. It is not necessary for these students to distinguish between vowels and consonants if they are not able. We are looking for the ability to distinguish each sound.
It is not a phonemic awareness activity because the teacher is isolating the sound. It is a valuable activity and is included in our curriculum. It is a precursor to phonemic awareness, but it is not phonemic awareness. Students can do this perfectly and still not have phonemic awareness. The student, not the teacher, must isolate the sound for it to be a true phonemic awareness activity.
Probably the most important addition to a preschool program would be listening for the beginning, end, and maybe even the middle vowel sounds in words. Keep in mind the seven steps that early readers took (Chapter 14). Decoding came after spelling words. Sight words weren’t really that important. What allowed these early readers to succeed was their ability to hear the individual sounds in words. Then they spelled.
Preschool children also need to engage in meaningful conversations about the text as teachers read aloud and about the world around them.
Graphemes
This is one of the trickiest sounds in our language although we use it many times every day. The ng is a single sound that is made in the back of the throat. We do not say a /g/ sound at the end of sing. A consonant blend has two or more sounds such as bl, str, or br.
A phoneme is a single sound of speech. It is spoken. It is not the sound a letter makes.
A grapheme is the symbol that represents that speech sound on paper. A grapheme can have one, two, or more letters. Examples are p, ck, igh, tch, and ough. All of these represent a single sound of speech.
There is a rule that addresses this. It is found in the “Real Rules.”
When a suffix that begins with a or o is added to a word, you drop the e unless you need it to make the c say /s/ or the g say /j/. So with the suffixes able, age, and ous, you drop the e unless I need it to make the c say /s/ or the g say /j/ as in the words noticeable, courageous, and knowledgeable.
Yes, the motor skills at this age vary widely. Decorating or coloring large letters that are 4 to 5 inches high helps them learn the letter. They could even trace these large letters with their fingers. Children this age usually want to write the letters, and they should be encouraged to do this even though the letters may not be formed perfectly. It is usually not the emphasis of the curriculum.
The “Real Rules” of English
- RoxieReading A – Only introduce the marker e
- RoxieReading 1 – Introduce e, i, and y at once, but only spell words with one marker at a time.
- RoxieReadng 2 – 4 – introduce e, i, and y all at once and spell words using all of them.
I introduce the speech sound and then the spelling or spellings of a sound with any “Real Rule” that might be associated with it. All of this takes 1 – 3 minutes. Students actually learn the rules as they spell words using the sounds. They learn them by using them.
Yes, they learn these fairly quickly and easily. In our curriculum, students are given these in tiny bits and then use the principles to write words on the whiteboard. They don’t memorize them. There is so much repetition built into the curriculum that gives them time to learn it. We do not expect students to know the rule the first time it is introduced, but they learn it over a few lessons.
Proficient readers actually know these subconsciously. That is why they want to put two l’s in traveled and keep the e before adding _ment in judgment. They can read unknown words with the ce, ci, or cy spelling, knowing that the c says /s/. They know to change the y to i in any word of any length that ends in a y that says long /e/ or /i/. The “Real Rules” just explain how the brain organizes the information on words.
We always have to watch for e, i, and y in words. If they have no ability to affect other sounds, the are not acting as markers. However, if we have to stop them from working as in the word tripped, they are definitely acting as a marker. If we didn’t stop it, that marker would be making changes to the sound.
I have never found it necessary to post any of the rules, Students learn them from using them in encoding and they become second nature to them. If you do make a poster, just choose the most important items such as how to add suffixes.
I did have posters of the spellings of the sounds, though. If you purchase the curriculum, you will have masters for posters of the sounds.
The curriculum teaches the rules one tiny bit at a time so you will learn them as you teach them.There is scripting that will guide you until you feel comfortable with your own words. You will find exceptions to the rules but there aren’t many.
Fluency and Reading Speed
Students should only point to a word if they are stopping to decode it. It is amazing that very early readers actually see at least two words at once. At first, it might be a few words in a text that they have to stop and decode. If that is the case, they should then reread the sentence without pointing. If students have difficulty keeping their place, then a ruler, card, or some other object should be used to help keep their eyes on the line.
Sometimes, students are pointing as they read, but not necessarily putting their finger on each word. That behavior does not slow up reading speed. That behavior should disappear by the middle of first grade.
This is tricky. The strategy of Repeated Readings comes from the idea that fluency is equated to speed — and it is not. A fluent reader can read a passage fluently the first time it is read. It was introduced in the 1970’s and is actually based on the whole language philosophy that we learn to read words through memorization. Hence reading enough times helps the student memorize the words and read the passage without hesitation. Thus creating automaticity and speed.
BUT let’s not throw out the idea of reading a passage more than once. It is good to have students read something a few times. After students have read a text the first time and have decoded the words, it is good that they reread it to themselves, with a partner, to you, and/or to another adult. Although the student has processed the words phonologically, it takes 2 -14 times using this process to place the words in the Word Form center of the brain where they will be retrieved instantly. When words are stored there, students have enough working memory to read fluently (like conversation) and comprehend what they have read.
So, we have to be careful how we use this strategy because it can affect where words are stored. Are they being stored on the right side of the brain or in the Word Form Center?
In Chapter 17 on Silent Reading Speed , there are activities that help students break these habits. Students should definitely not use either of these by 2nd grade. Sometimes my students had to actually hold their lips to prevent it. If they have been taught the foundational skills, this habit is easy to break.
Both of those habits can be due to:
- Lack of some of the foundational skills that would allow them to process words quickly,
- Lack of decoding skills or confidence in their decoding skills,
- A habit, or
- An eye-tracking issue.
If you look at the diagram of the poor reader, on page 27 of your text. you will notice how the speech center is activated on the left brain. This is due to vocalizing/subvocalizing. The student is trying to say the word. At the same time, notice that none of the other language centers are activated. That means the student does not have the foundational skills to process the word phonologically. In this case, the habit of subvocalizing is difficult to break.
We have to be detectives to figure out why a student may continue to subvocalize and address the issue.
You can do the simple activity with parents where they see how many words they see at a time. They may think they read word by word but would discover that they actually read in chunks. It is an interesting activity for them to do.
If you have done this activity with your students, you can show the parents how many words their child sees at a time. You can then stress that it is important to help the child see chunks of words rather than point to individual words.
This is only done with students in 4th grade and up towards the end of the year and only after they have learned almost all of the graphemes. They have to be good decoders to do this.
I give them the goal of 250 to 300 words per minute. We want them to come up to average.
Yes, speed definitely increases when they are told to not concentrate on meaning. The purpose of these activities is to BREAK habits. When students worry about comprehension, they engage in behaviors such as subvocalizing, rereading, and pausing to make sure they “get” the information. When they don’t have to worry, they can just read.
When they fall back to a speed that is comfortable, they discover they are reading much faster because the habits have been broken. And they can comprehend what they read.
Instruction and Placement
- The ability level is determined by grapheme knowledge.
- All poor readers lack phonemic awareness and may read anywhere from primer to 6th grade level.
The DST reveals grapheme knowledge. You have to look at not only the score but also the type of errors that are made. A good memorizer will have a higher score, but the errors they make are gross. You always choose the highest ability level possible. Don’t get tripped up because a 6th grade student is reading at lst grade level. If they know the alphabet and the basic consonant graphemes like th, sh, ch, then they go into RR3.
We are used to, as teachers, to looking at reading level. But that is not what we do here. Ability levels 1 – 4 all teach the same thing–just at the appropriate age-grade level. It is taught in different sequences and at different paces. I’ve used RoxieReading 3 (WWC) with students in 7th grade who read at Kindergarten level and have little or no phonemic awareness, but know the alphabet and a few other consonant graphemes. The only students of that description who use RoxieReading 2 are those who have scored 50 or below on the DST which reveals some kind of learning delay. These are special education students. Even then, we don’t go down to RoxieReading 1 (WWB) unless they don’t know the alphabet.
A 4-year old child who knows their letters and sounds and can hear the beginning, end, and middle vowel sound in words can encode words. The early spontaneous readers spelled before they ever learned to read or decode. The example of Nathan on page 173 of your text demonstrates this.
The bottom line: encoding requires alphabet knowledge and phonemic awareness.
The 90 minute block can be broken up. What we do have to pay attention to is how much time is lost in transition times. You want 90 minutes total instruction time.
Regarding the attention span — any time you change activities or position, you can start a new attention span time. So you can have back to back activities in the block, alternating fine motor and large muscle activity. In RoxieReading, we alternate the types of activities so students aren’t reading or writing for long periods of time.
Generally, students can stay in the same group if the ability level has been carefully chosen. The lessons have built-in repetition so one student might catch on by the 2nd lesson while it takes another the 4th lesson. The lessons are designed so you don’t reteach but keep moving. You are asking questions and guiding students in the encoding. You are providing immediate feedback. Even if there is a little variance, students can usually remain in the same group.
There are times when some students need to move up to the next ability level or level of words and others are not ready to move up. When students can do the encoding with little or no help from you, the level is too easy and they need to move up.
When introducing the sound, you would call on students. However, when students begin the encoding part of the lesson, it is very fast-paced so you are usually not pausing to call on a student. Many times students just mumble under their breath or answer as a group. Even if some students are not answering aloud, you will know if they are getting it by what they do. Are they spelling the word correctly? Are they moving toward self-correction? If you see some are not getting it, you can call on a student who is understanding it. The purpose of the questions is not only to guide students in performing correctly but also in helping students learn how to think about how words are constructed.
I agree that it is a challenge. We have kinesthetic learners who are artists so of course they want to draw.
The secret to keeping that to a minimum is keeping a VERY fast pace. Kids don’t have time to draw many pictures. I give the word, start asking questions, ask them to show me the board, and go to the next word immediately.
Heavy reliance on memorizing sight words comes out of the Whole Language movement. It is taking time for the education establishment to move from the idea that we learn words through a visual process to understanding that we learn words through a phonological process. The idea of visual processing has been entrenched for over 100 years . As you see from the Fry list in the course, there are very few words that need to be taught through memorization. With the brain research, we now know how best to teach words. However, it takes about 70 years from research to common practice on almost any scientific discovery. We are just over 30 years into that shift.
In the RoxieReasding Resources, you will have masters for posters of the spellings of the graphemes. My students found these extremely valuable and referred to them all the time. I never had posters of the affixes and students learned them quite easily without them. However, they might be helpful.
Our curriculum teaches the foundational skills explicitly, sequentially, and cumulatively as required by the dyslexia laws of many states. That means we do not start instruction with a text but use the same sequence the brain uses. We go from speech sound, to the spelling of the sound, to encoding words with that spelling, to reading those words, and then reading connected text, all within 40 minutes.
The emphasis on using the context of meaningful text to teach skills is based on the whole language philosophy that meaning comes first. When scientists saw the process the brain uses, they discovered that meaning actually comes last. Students must be able to perform each isolated skill before thinking about meaning.
Have students do both. In order to reach the 30 minutes of reading per day. At the lower levels, it has to be done in a variety of ways: with the teacher, independently, with a partner, and/or with a classroom volunteer. At some point, students need to read aloud with the teacher or aide. Then they can read other ways.
At most ability levels, only one spelling of a sound is introduced in a lesson. For example in RoxieReading A and 1, after introducing /c/ and the spelling c in one lesson, we would introduce the next spelling in another lesson. “We learned how to spell the sound /c/. How did we spell it? Today, we are going to learn another way to spell the sound /c/.”
In the higher ability level curriculums, more than one way to spell a sound may be introduced in a single lesson. For example, “Today we will learn how to spell the sound /oi/. How do we spell it? oi is the spelling that comes at the beginning or middle spelling ,and oy is the spelling that usually comes at the end.
A 4-year old child who knows their letters and sounds and can hear the beginning, end, and middle vowel sound in words can encode words. The early spontaneous readers spelled before they ever learned to read or decode. The example of Nathan on page 173 of your text demonstrates this.
The bottom line: encoding requires alphabet knowledge and phonemic awareness.
The 90 minute block can be broken up. What we do have to pay attention to is how much time is lost in transition times. You want 90 minutes total instruction time.
Regarding the attention span — any time you change activities or position, you can start a new attention span time. So you can have back to back activities in the block, alternating fine motor and large muscle activity. In RoxieReading, we alternate the types of activities so students aren’t reading or writing for long periods of time.
Generally, students can stay in the same group if the ability level has been carefully chosen. The lessons have built-in repetition so one student might catch on by the 2nd lesson while it takes another the 4th lesson. The lessons are designed so you don’t reteach but keep moving. You are asking questions and guiding students in the encoding. You are providing immediate feedback. Even if there is a little variance, students can usually remain in the same group.
There are times when some students need to move up to the next ability level or level of words and others are not ready to move up. When students can do the encoding with little or no help from you, the level is too easy and they need to move up.
When introducing the sound, you would call on students. However, when students begin the encoding part of the lesson, it is very fast-paced so you are usually not pausing to call on a student. Many times students just mumble under their breath or answer as a group. Even if some students are not answering aloud, you will know if they are getting it by what they do. Are they spelling the word correctly? Are they moving toward self-correction? If you see some are not getting it, you can call on a student who is understanding it. The purpose of the questions is not only to guide students in performing correctly but also in helping students learn how to think about how words are constructed.
I agree that it is a challenge. We have kinesthetic learners who are artists so of course they want to draw.
The secret to keeping that to a minimum is keeping a VERY fast pace. Kids don’t have time to draw many pictures. I give the word, start asking questions, ask them to show me the board, and go to the next word immediately.
Heavy reliance on memorizing sight words comes out of the Whole Language movement. It is taking time for the education establishment to move from the idea that we learn words through a visual process to understanding that we learn words through a phonological process. The idea of visual processing has been entrenched for over 100 years . As you see from the Fry list in the course, there are very few words that need to be taught through memorization. With the brain research, we now know how best to teach words. However, it takes about 70 years from research to common practice on almost any scientific discovery. We are just over 30 years into that shift.
In the RoxieReasding Resources, you will have masters for posters of the spellings of the graphemes. My students found these extremely valuable and referred to them all the time. I never had posters of the affixes and students learned them quite easily without them. However, they might be helpful.
Our curriculum teaches the foundational skills explicitly, sequentially, and cumulatively as required by the dyslexia laws of many states. That means we do not start instruction with a text but use the same sequence the brain uses. We go from speech sound, to the spelling of the sound, to encoding words with that spelling, to reading those words, and then reading connected text, all within 40 minutes.
The emphasis on using the context of meaningful text to teach skills is based on the whole language philosophy that meaning comes first. When scientists saw the process the brain uses, they discovered that meaning actually comes last. Students must be able to perform each isolated skill before thinking about meaning.
Have students do both. In order to reach the 30 minutes of reading per day. At the lower levels, it has to be done in a variety of ways: with the teacher, independently, with a partner, and/or with a classroom volunteer. At some point, students need to read aloud with the teacher or aide. Then they can read other ways.
RoxieReading Implementation
Our five curriculums can be used in the general classroom or as an intervention. This is a unique curriculum that is designed around ability levels rather than reading levels. Grapheme knowledge is the determining factor. The guidelines on pages 160-161 show the differences between the levels. Every level teaches phonemic awareness and all of the graphemes (except K which focuses on the alphabet) so a level is chosen based on how much grapheme knowledge the student has.
We place a student based on their knowledge of graphemes. You can choose a level highr than A or 1 even though this student is reading at a primer level for these reasons:
- This student comes with bits and pieces of knowledge about words and the language as well as general knowledge of the world. She is smart.
- Every curriculum ability level teaches phonemic awareness to those as low as Phonemic Awareness Level 1, but with the words that are appropriate for the age. The games engage and challenge students.
- Every ability level (except RoxieReading A) teaches all the graphemes, the”Real Rules” of English, and how to decode unknown words using words appropriate for the age level.
- Every curriculum starts with the basic and elementary principles and moves sequentially and cumulatively to more complex concepts and words. Each curriculum level teaches the same concepts and rules, but uses different words to learn those concepts and rules.
So why would this student not start at RoxieReasding A or RoxieReading 1?
- RoxieReading A spends a lot of time learning the alphabet and some additional spellings. Even though this student can’t read, he knows the alphabet. He just doesn’t have phonemic awareness and can’t read. We can find a better level for him.
- RoxieReading 1 spends 35 lessons reviewing the alphabet and some of the spellings such as th, sh, ck. Even though this student can’t read, he does not need to spend that much time reviewing what he already knows. Even the words for the rest of the lessons are below his grade level.
- RoxieReading 2 spends only nine lessons on the short vowel sounds and the graphemes th, sh, ch, ck, ng, and wh that are used with this. The rest of the graphemes are taught at a slower pace than used in the higher level curriculums. Sometimes an older student may need this level but only if they are very weak in hearing all short vowel sounds. If a student has a Developmental Spelling Test score in the 50’s or below, this might be an appropriate level. This level is not challenging enough for most older students.
- RoxieReading 3 begins teach the markers and all the graphemes using words that are appropriate for students in grades 4 and up. This level is unique because it provides words for differentiating at least three different levels. Although the lowest group of words starts with like make and hope with affixes, at the end of the lessons, students are reading the words like immunization, disorganized, and intolerant. This level would be an appropriate for this 6th grade student. The lessons are easy enough at the beginning but move at a steady pace toward more difficult words. All the concepts are taught.
- RoxieReading 4 uses the same sequence as RoxieReading 3, but uses more advanced words from the outset. This would not be a good level for this student because the initial words are too difficult.
The curriculum can be used for intervention for your struggling readers. You would place students in groups according to their ability level (see pages 160-161). It is possible that you have students in lst and 2nd grade that could be at four different ability levels (RoxieReading A – RoxieReading 3). These levels are designed so students are working at an age-appropriate level on the missing skills.
Yes, there are word lists for every lesson in every curriculum. These would be appropriate for the students working at that level.
You can see sample lessons and the scope and sequence of each under the Curriculum menu.
I have found that this approach to teaching reading has something to teach all students. In addition, the games are interesting to most students. For example, I had kids in 2nd grade through high school who wanted to keep doing the Chip Game even though they could do it perfectly and didn’t need it any more.
Within the curriculum, there are ways to adjust the level but still be teaching the same concepts and even the same words. You adjust by the prefixes and suffixes you use. The reading and writing assignments can be easily differentiated.
Most students within a classroom will be able to use the same curriculum. There will be some that will need extra help, and I recommend preteaching the lesson to them. There will be those, though, that may need to work at a different ability level. Remember the 2nd grade girl who did not know the alphabet? She was pulled out and worked at a different ability level. he Developmental Spelling Test will help you determine this.
The curriculum is structured in such a way that even low readers can spell the words because you provide so much coaching within the lesson. Sometimes, you may have to pull out a student for a few times with a little extra help (for example, hearing the difference between short i and short e.).
Our curriculum is age-appropriate. A 6th grade student who has weak phonemic awareness skills, poor grapheme knowledge (but knows the alphabet), and reads at a primer level, will most likely use RoxieReading 3. The sequence of sounds and spellings differs from the RoxieReading A, RoxieReading 1, and RoxieReading 2. However, this student will learn how to read anything while learning at a level that is comfortable and age-appropriate. Our curriculum teaches overarching rules (the “Real Rules” ) that unlock the mystery of words. In the RoxieReading 3, after the first four to five lessons which introduce the markers and how to stop them, students have the skills to read about 8,000 words they could not read before. The progress is usually noticeable by parents and teachers.
Schools who have the most success use the curriculum in the classrooms K – 3. All students benefit from this approach to reading. Poor readers are pre-taught the concepts.
Dictation and Writing
The sounds, words, and sentences for Dictation are chosen as a review of both current and past sounds, affixes, and words.
If you are teaching in a classroom, you will most likely have to differentiate the Dictation for some of the students. Use the guidelines found in your text for adjusting the level. If you are teaching one curriculum level, you would most likely have to only differentiate between two different groups.
I base the grade of the paper on the errors that I find and not on the original errors, giving a star or a score of -1, or -2, etc. Students work hard to find all of their errors so they can get a perfect paper. Their motivation is “getting it right” and not trying to get “a good grade.” However, I never record their grade. This would be a decision you would make based on your students.
In my curriculum, students spell words before they read the words. As they do this, they are coached with questions. What do you hear at the beginning? What do you need to make the vowel long? What will you do with the extra marker? With this type of instruction, students begin to think about how words are spelled. They have to listen for ALL the sounds in the word and the teacher has taught them how to spell those sounds. As students use the Real Rules, they understand how words are constructed.
However, when they spell in Dictation, students may misspell words. Spelling is learned through editing in Dictation and in writing.
Invented spelling is just a window into the phonemic awareness level. As students edit and correct their spelling errors, they improve.
In my own K – 1 classrooms, students wrote in journals, and they were never required to make any corrections. However, as we practiced encoding words and editing in Dictation, spelling in their journals improved dramatically.
You know your students. Start with the sentence or question and answer assignment first to make sure students have the sentence down. Then move to the paragraph. Choose whatever paragraph type is suitable for what students are doing. It doesn’t matter. I suggest using whatever paragraph style you choose several times before going on to another type. And then come back to it often. Students need to build confidence in using the style.
Sometimes, I have students dictate their ideas but only when I am demonstrating how to do the assignment. I may write their ideas (and most likely will have them copy me), how to organize the ideas, use the sentence frame, and then write the sentence. This is only for demonstration. Then they must do the work on their own for the assignment.
We rob students of so much when we or technology does the writing for them. When my older students try to bring their writing assignment to me printed from a computer, I do not know what they know. Did the computer correct the spelling and the punctuation or suggest a different word? I make sure they know that they must bring the paragraph in their own writing. They may still just copy it from a computer, but at least they have written it.
Many times these students have not been shown how to form the letters. It is assumed they have learned by watching. I’ve worked with students 6th grade – high school that could not form the letters well enough to even recognize them. When I showed them how to form each letter and had them practice writing it, it made a significant difference.
In the curriculum, there are resources to teach letter formation. Using penmanship lined whiteboards can help while doing this. Depending on the age of the student, tracing letters helps. We have to realize these students may not have beautiful penmanship but they can learn how to form the letters properly. I have yet to see a student who did not dramatically improve. (That, of course, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. There is always that surprise).
Reading for Meaning
Rereading is good. But it should be done with a purpose. Students need to learn how to ask themselves questions as they read so they are looking for specific information. We don’t want them to be constantly looking back because of insecurity.
If you are modeling the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions in conversations about text, they should begin to ask themselves those same kinds of questions when they read.
Yes, it is a strong background knowledge helps all students with comprehension, including those who struggle with reading. Poor readers who have good background knowledge will score higher in comprehension than in other aspects of reading.
Using their own words for the definition, drawing a picture, and using it in a sentence are good. I do not have students write a definition from the dictionary. It is just copy work and it usually has little meaning for them.